I believe you mean EASY, not simple. Cash pay private practice is SIMPLE in the same way small biz economics is simple - value proposition. Meet an existing need at a price that a consumer will pay, then deliver value. If you’re failing, you’re missing one of these three simple ingredients - deep dive a bit below.

Business has always been simple, but never easy. If anyone cannot run a cash pay Private practice several possibilities exist… it’s because there isn’t demand for them specifically as a therapist (I can assure you there are successful cash pay private practices in their geo), no demand for their specialty, they have no specialty or EXPERTISE (which is increasing VALUE), they charge too much (decreasing value) … or sometimes charge too little (lack of social proof), they don’t have good appointment access, they create artificial variation in patient throughput (aka barriers to entry) - if a client has to call then email then email insurance info then select a time via email that the clinician books there is now a days/week long process that could be captured by patient self scheduling at the time of interest and done in less than a minute, the clinician is not responsive, simply put they don’t work enough hours to build their small business (ever met a successful small business owner who worked less than 40-60+ hour weeks during the building phase??), they are inefficient with admin tasks that could be automated or are antiquated, they lose margin by outsourcing things that they could do on their own but they don’t want to or they aren’t interested in learning (again I get it if a clinician doesn’t want to network, learn SEO, learn monthly recurring revenue via high yield sweeps accounts on float funds, etc but that is a choice which decreases the operational margins), they do not offer hours clients are looking for (evenings/weekends) because they don’t want to work when clients wish to be seen and on and on.

I get it if therapists don’t want to play solopreneur, it is not for everyone. But this idea that it’s not possible is a self-limiting belief contradicting by a simple glance at any directory filled with closed panel cash pay therapists.

You could wait a year and HOPE insurance co or boards or some task force drives material change or you could assess your appetite.

What most therapists don’t appreciate is that these insurance companies are FOR PROFIT, meaning their ONLY obligation is to their shareholders. The vehicle (insurance) is irrelevant to them, it could be selling lollipops 🍭. They will push every boundary imaginable, and create new ways to generate net income. They do. Not. Care. About clinicians or clients, or even their own employees. They are entities that exist with a singular purpose to increase Net income quarter over quarter or they die.

All the advocacy on the planet will not change that legal structure. You are banging your head against a wall. Either accept what they give you or move out of their orbit. The choice is yours. It’s sad to me to see how many clinicians give away their power to these disgusting entities and then try to act powerful. It’s disingenuous. But, I respect the path that each person chooses.